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Review
| African Military History and Politics: Coups and Ideological Incursions, 1900-Present, by A.B. Assensoh and Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 215 pages. $24.95, paper.
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| African Military History and Politics: Coups and Ideological Incursions, 1900-Present is an examination of the intersection of the military and politics on the African continent during the twentieth century. The authors focus their attention on sub-Saharan Africa and attempt to discern the root cause of the political instability of this region in the post-colonial period. The book's authors, A.B. Assensoh and Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh, are both professors at Indiana University, in Afro-American studies and political science respectively. |
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The eight chapters of this volume begin with one concerning the end of the colonial period in African history. The authors rightly assert that European colonialism imposed artificial borders on the continent, which exacerbated tensions between African ethnic groups. They also examine how religion, slavery (within the continent), and indigenous traditions and customs were affected by colonialism and the end of colonialism. In Chapter 2, the authors discuss the evolution of armed forces (including national police forces) in Africa. The authors believe that a very similar pattern of evolution took place in regards to African armed forces. The national police forces took on a "militarized" pattern, because they were principally organized to maintain internal order rather than to deal with legitimate crime. In addition, the remainder of the armed forces enjoyed a favored status within the colonial government and have, therefore, been seen in the post-colonial period as "status symbols" of the national leaders. |
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In Chapter 3, the authors explore the corrupt and dictatorial tendencies in much of sub-Saharan Africa that creates situations ripe for military intervention. As the authors point out, circumstances have often been so deplorable within the civilian governments that even the general populace has supported military coups. In Chapter 4, the authors present an overview of military (or police) leaders who have become civilian leaders in retirement or merely as a result of shedding their military garb. In Chapter 5, the authors present a generally negative portrait of military involvement in African politics. In Chapter 6, the authors deal with the thorny issue of the proliferation of coups throughout Africa. While many of the coups were fomented by the international struggle of the Cold War, most found their basis in the internal conditions of the individual African nations. In Chapter 7, the authors continue the discussion of coups by examining them within their political and theoretical contexts. Finally, in Chapter 8, the authors endeavor to bring together all of the events and conditions that have led to the political instability of sub-Saharan Africa. |
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The authors must be credited for presenting an accurate, "warts and all" picture of sub-Saharan Africa in the post-colonial period. While they do lay some of the blame for the problems of post-colonial Africa on the doorstep of the former colonial powers, the authors state clearly near the end of the book that, "It is, therefore, time for Africans and their leaders to 'clean up' their political and economic acts." Despite being a well-written and researched book, I believe that students who have no background in African history may well become lost in the minutiae of military and political events in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the usefulness of this book as a teaching tool is limited, in my opinion, to graduate and upper divisions undergraduate courses in African history. |
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| Independent Scholar |
Alexander M. Bielakowski |
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